Philadelphia airport celebrates its brigade of stress-busting therapy dogs

Philadelphia airport celebrates its brigade of stress-busting therapy dogs

PHILADELPHIA — A pack of four-legged therapists got a break of their own on Monday when they were honored at the airport where they dutifully work to ease stress and calm travelers. The event at Philadelphia International Airport marked five years since the 23 members of the Wagging Tails Brigade began greeting people and serving … Read more

Israel says more polio vaccines are delivered to Gaza, where aid groups seek pause in fighting

Israel says more polio vaccines are delivered to Gaza, where aid groups seek pause in fighting

Israel’s military on Sunday said polio vaccines for more than 1 million people had been delivered to Gaza, after the first confirmed case of the disease in the territory in a quarter-century. It was not immediately clear how, or how quickly, the more than 25,000 vials of vaccine would be distributed in Gaza, where ongoing … Read more

Early interventions may improve long-term academic achievement in young childhood brain tumor survivors

Early interventions may improve long-term academic achievement in young childhood brain tumor survivors

Children who survive a brain tumor often experience effects from both the cancer and its treatment long after therapy concludes. Scientists at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital found very young children treated for brain tumors were less prepared for school (represented by lower academic readiness scores) compared to their peers. This gap persisted once survivors … Read more

U.S. government report says fluoride at twice the recommended limit is linked to lower IQ in kids

U.S. government report says fluoride at twice the recommended limit is linked to lower IQ in kids

NEW YORK — A U.S. government report expected to stir debate concluded that fluoride in drinking water at twice the recommended limit is linked with lower IQ in children. The report, based on an analysis of previously published research, marks the first time a federal agency has determined — “with moderate confidence” — that there … Read more

Got cold symptoms? Here’s when kids should take a sick day from school

Got cold symptoms? Here’s when kids should take a sick day from school

PHOENIX — As schools reopen for another year, they are focused on improving student attendance. But back-to-school is hitting just as COVID-19 cases are increasing, raising the question: When is a child too sick for school? School absences surged during the pandemic and have yet to recover. Nearly 1 in 4 students remains chronically absent, … Read more

Make eye exams part of the back-to-school checklist. Your kids and their teachers will thank you

Make eye exams part of the back-to-school checklist. Your kids and their teachers will thank you

When a little boy burst into tears in her third-grade classroom last fall, Audrey Jost pulled him aside while the other kids were at recess. He said he was getting headaches and falling behind the other students, so Jost spoke with his parents about getting his eyes tested. A few days later the boy returned … Read more

Aid groups in Gaza aim to avert a polio outbreak with a surge of vaccinations

Aid groups in Gaza aim to avert a polio outbreak with a surge of vaccinations

CAIRO — The threat of polio is rising fast in the Gaza Strip, prompting aid groups to call for an urgent pause in the war so they can ramp up vaccinations and head off a full-blown outbreak. One case has been confirmed, others are suspected and the virus was detected in wastewater in six different … Read more

First case of polio confirmed in a 10-month-old child in Gaza, Palestinian health officials say

First case of polio confirmed in a 10-month-old child in Gaza, Palestinian health officials say

RAMALLAH, West Bank — Palestinian health officials on Friday reported the first case of polio in an unvaccinated 10-month-old child in the Gaza city of Deir al-Balah, the first case in years in the coastal enclave that has been engulfed in the Israel-Hamas war since Oct. 7. After discovering the child’s symptoms, tests were conducted … Read more

Beautiful ‘super practical and light’ high chair is ‘must-have’ for parents

Beautiful ‘super practical and light’ high chair is ‘must-have’ for parents

Parents are raving about a ‘must-have’ high chair that is not only practical and can be used from the moment your baby is born until they are school-ready, but it’s lightweight and ‘beautiful’ in its design.  The Bugaboo Giraffe chair comes in a variety of gorgeous neutral colours from white to warm wood and grey … Read more

Millions of kids are still skipping school. Could the answer be recess — and a little cash?

Millions of kids are still skipping school. Could the answer be recess — and a little cash?

MEDFORD, Mass. — Flerentin “Flex” Jean-Baptiste missed so much school he had to repeat his freshman year at Medford High outside Boston. At school, “you do the same thing every day,” said Jean-Baptiste, who was absent 30 days his first year. “That gets very frustrating.” Then his principal did something nearly unheard of: She let … Read more